Method of making needles for fruit seeders



Aug. 28, 1923.

J. C. BAUMER FETHOD OF MAKING NEEDLES FOR FRUIT SEEDEP Filed Abril 18192? INVENTOR John C. Enumer- Q ATTC li-ii Patented Aug. 28, 1923.

s ren STATES PHA F I E- JOHN C. BAUMER, ornoonnsrnn, NEW YORK, nssrsNonTo. Horses STRONG, or p i noonns'rnn, NE YonK. I

i. METHOD or MAKING NEEDLES ron rnurr si'innnns. 7

Application filed April is, 1922. Serial "No. 554,699. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. BAUMER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county ofMonroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Methods of Making Needles for Fruit Seeders, of whichthe following is a specification. v

The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method ofmaking needles for use in fruit seeders.

This and other objects of the invention will be fully illustrated in thedrawing, described in the specification and pointed out in the claim atthe end thereof.

In the drawing:

Figures 1 to 5 inclusive are detail sectional views of the rod fromwhich the needle is, formed, the successive figures illustrating theevolution of the needle from the blank rod to the finished product.

Figure 1 shows the rod with a hole therein drilled from the end.

Figure 2 shows the end of the rod countersunk.

Figure 3 shows the rod with the hole plugged.

Figure 4c shows the finished needle.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section of the finished needle.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line 143 4 1: of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section on the line 15 -15 of Figure 4.

In the drawing, like reference numerals indicate like parts.

In the construction of the needle lies the secret of the success of afruit seeding machine. This needle is made of five individual blades 41which are formed up out of a single solid rod in the following manner.

' A steel rod 70 of circular cross section and of suitable length isfirst drilled at one end to a suitable depth to provide an elongatedhollow center or pocket 71 therein. This pocket will be as long as theflexible part of the blade to be formed thereon. The end of the rod isthen counter sunk as shown in Figure 10 to form the inwardly slantingtips of the blades. This pocket is then temporarily plugged up by therod or pin 7 2 as shown in Figure 11. After this is done the rod 7 0 isready to be operated upon to form the individual blades at one endthereof. After this is done the rod is suitably mounted so that amilling cutter or other suitable cutting tool can be moved lengthwiseofthe rod to cut it into slits or tines beginning at the countersunk endthereof. In this way and for this purpose five equally spacedlongitudinal channels are cut into the perimeter of the plugged end ofthe rod. During this operation the temporary plug in the center of therod iscut away along the .lines where the longitudinal channels areformed thus dividing this core into five parts that readily fall out ofthe hollow center of the rod after the milling operation is completed.This leaves the rod with five equally spaced thin partitions or tineswhich are grouped around the hollow center or pocket 71 of the rod 70and form the individual blades illustrated in Figures 4 to 7 inclusive.

The method of forming the complete nee-. dle as above described isnecessary because in the milling operation for forming the blades therod would not retain its shape without having a'solid center intowhichthe cutter can cut and steady itself. with the tines during the cuttingoperation.

On the otherhand, if the rod was not drilled before forming the blades,the solid center between the blades could not be made hollow afterwardson account of the small amount of metal left in the middle of the rodafter the cutting operation has been completed.

The blades or tines formed on the needle 7 in this manner are thin andof equal thickw ness throughout their length. The inwardly slanting andpolnted outer end of each of the blades is provided with a cutting edgeso that in entering the fruit the skin thereof is punctured and slit andis not torn. The. body of each of the blades is made thin enough so thatin entering the fruit through the slits made by the pointed andsharpened ends thereof, the slits are not made larger and do not tearthe skin. The blades are stiff enough toavoid spreading over the pit butpush out the pit ahead of them on the downward movement and maintainsufficient engagement with the pulp to lift it after the pit is pushedout through the bottom of the fruit. This leaves but five slits in thebottom of the fruit when the needle is withdrawn after the pit or stonehas been removed by pushing 'it through the top or stem end of the fruitand these slits readily close up and are practically invisible after thefruit has been canned and sealedin the glass jars. ruptured by thepassage of the pit and the I tines of theaneedle'but because of thesupport given to the fruit by an elastic' dia.j

. phragin the injury does notehange the shape The skin in the top of thefriiit' is,

fruit which consists of rst drilling the nee- 'dle bar centrally fromone end thereof and forming a, hole therein, then plugging the hole andmilling a series of flat blades between the plu and the periphery of thebar and then ithdrawing the plug;

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN C. BAUMER.

